I see you’re getting it now. There’s more than one way to skin a cat, and MANY uses for a skinned cat. On BLF you’ll find lights as works of art (looking at you, CRX and pinkpanda), as regular use tools, sometimes as a defense-oriented accessory… the list goes on and on.
Now, if you’re so into what you call “high quality, tough-built” torches, why not mod or build one yourself? Get a decent host, a driver that suits your needs, the emitter of your choice, solder the pieces together, pot the crap out of the result, and Bob’s your uncle. I am legitimately interested on how you would go about it, with your view on what a solid flashlight should be. Will it be different from that one guy that potted a Convoy M1 and it resisted an assload of mechanical resistance tests? We’ll see.
EDIT: For now, just sit back and absorb the world you stepped into, if you will. And get ready to have your horizons expanded way beyond your previous scope. I know, I’m speaking from personal experience. If it wasn’t good, I wouldn’t be sitting here posting my 1500th comment, would I?
IMO what you see here is pretty similar to what I’d expect you’d find in any other forum dedicated to a particular “thing”. For example, if you decide to join a generic or mfg (brand) car forum: rather than coming across tons of users/threads dedicated to the practical use and reasons why professional drivers choose Honda over Toyota it’s going to be mostly hobbyists or enthusiasts. I can imagine that gun forums would be very similar: I wouldn’t expect that the vast majority of law enforcement and military personnel are obsessed enough with the particular tools of their trade that they want to also dedicate hours talking about guns on forums. That’s much more in line with enthusiasts who are particularly interested in the subject and have an attachment to it.
I can at least vouch for woodworking forums where there are indeed many professionals but the most active users and the vast majority of users are the ones that have an affinity for DIY building and collecting tools. For them it’s not about practicality but the joy building and collecting another new shiny tool brings them. I find that the more someone uses a $4000 table saw every day for professional reasons the more they desire to talk less about its 300 features and specifications and quickly cut to whether it works or not and the one or two things they like about it compared to their old saw.
Forums dedicated to things are most commonly going to be places where people like the subject from a collector/modifier/fascination point of view rather than professionals who use the tools every day and still manage to have so much love for their tools they willingly dedicate even more non-work hours talking about, reading about and giving advice about their tools.
My first thought reading this was that there's another forum that takes itself too seriously...
Anyway, this is mostly a hobby site. I have questions about the validity of "tactical" flashlight application, but that conversation gets political rather quickly for me so I'll avoid it here. You did seem a little condescending in your thread about lights to depend on with your life, which suggests you already had ideas going into the conversation and the answers didn't mesh well with them. I'd recommend that you can probably get the answers you're looking for if you're a lot more specific or technical with your questions. For example, you might post questions about lights with potted electronics, or lifetime warranties, or specifically suitable for weapon (handgun vs. long gun) mounting, or only using lithium primaries, or whatever aspects of flashlight design are already important to you. Such a broad question was bound to find broad interpretations and answers.
Hey! What about my Tactical Sunglasses? “Tactical” is right in the name. And the guy on teevee even said so!
I mean… they’re even polarised! That’s how I can see a blank screen turn into a Murrcan Eagle just by putting ’em on! If that ain’t tactical, I don’t know what is…
If you’ve ever seen James Bond then you should know that any tool can quickly become tactical with a few modifications… lol you thought the “modders” on BLF were simple flashlight modders did you?
You are totally wrong and you probably need more time to realize that there are a lot of different people with different concerns about life in general and flashlights in particular.
All I see here is a lot of diffrent people with their own opinions and tastes…and budget.
A few are machinists, electronicians, programmers, etc, and all this people can help you to turn your most crappy flashlight into a gem of reliabilty because the more reliable and durable flashlight in the world is not made by a happy few over-rated USA manufacturers but it’s the flashlight you can flash, reflash, improve, repair, swap/replace parts, etc.
If you are fine with sealed products from brands that will never share their knowledges, patented design, electronic scheme drivers, etc, again it’s fine but you are totally dependant of reputation that won’t avoid failures with time. With every brand there are models that are more reliable than others. Everything should be judged on a particular basis, case by case. Taking things for granted, for example a reputation, is just a way to reassure ourself, to be convinced that we have made the right choices.
You have a preconceived idea about this community and what a flashlight should look like and should be, it’s fine, but personnaly I don’t need a community to have the same ideas than me about life and flashlights. I don’t need people to validate my own tastes, opinions and concerns about life and flashlights.
Anyway…you appreciate flashlights from brands that I do not appreciate for my own particular reasons but who cares, you are welcome here.
Exactly. The beauty of BLF is that when/if someone has a question about something, whether it's a P60 drop-in or a MagLite conversion or potted weapon lights, even in-depth driver design or firmware programming, others help. Also, most at BLF are critical of the more expensive flashlights out there, and skeptical that something equal or better can't be made for cheaper.
As it’s been proven numerous times by our designers/programmers and the manufacturers willing to take up the designs. The Lumintop BLF GT (affordable ultra-thrower), Convoy L6 (budget-friendly XHP70 monster), Thorfire BLF Q8 (great cheap coke can blaster) and several others are excellent examples.
The feeling I get from this forum is that most of us are hobbyists. We enjoy playing with our lights, getting new lights, seeing what can be done with lights, and modding lights. There is a free-wheeling spirit of creativity here not present on any other flashlight forum. :sunglasses:
Most of us here on BLF don’t rely on our lights as tools for life or death situations. Our lights are toys, and we probably don’t even need them.
That said, the knowledge base on this forum is quite high. If you are seeking info on tank-like super-reliable, but possibly low-output professional lights, chances are someone here will know the answer to your question. But at the same time you might find more info on other forums that focus more on people who use their lights professionally in their jobs.
Yeah I’m more worried about not tripping on something while walking the dog or being able to find the breaker box in the dark than having a light that can survive an EMP. You could give me all the prepper gear in the world and I’d probably be screwed anyway in SHTF scenario.
Enablers; I only had a few until this forum; now, well, I’d have to go count them.
I don’t remember how I found this forum but I’m here now; never met a flashlight I didn’t like; be it $2 or $40.
I would never spend over $40 on a flashlight.
